My Heart in Braille
⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to read and review!

Victor isn't the smartest student. He struggles with academics, but loves cars and rock music. Marie-Jo is brilliant and a talented cello player. When Victor learns that Marie is going blind, he vows to help her so she is able to audition for her dream school.

This was a short graphic novel with a cute story about two teenagers falling in love. I enjoyed seeing Victor and Marie learn to care for each other. The artwork was well done and beautiful, with multiple pages absolutely stunning me. I just felt like the story was too short, and I feel like Victor was lost in the pages a little, as he helped Marie reach her goals. I would have liked to see more of their relationship develop and focus on Victor. I also wish it would have been extended past the audition to show what happens in the future. Overall, it was a quick read and I liked it. It was well done, just short and lacking a little.

I have to start by mentioning the beautiful illustrations. Truly the strength of this book, the illustrations are not just a support for the text but truly alive on their own, expressive in a way that one could grasp most of the story without needing to read a single word. Anne-Lise Nalin did a phenomenal job.

As for the text, this is a comic book adaptation of a novel (Le coeur en braille, Paul Ruter) which I haven't read, so I cannot say whether my comments apply to only this version or both.
The story is cute, and deals with important topics (loss of a parent, disability, as well as mentions of depression and discrimination), but some of it did feel a bit... convenient. Everything resolves itself magically in a way that isn't realistic, which negates some of the impact of the more serious messages in the book? Because some parts feel disingenuous, it reminds the reader that this story is purely fiction and disconnects it from the realities it's trying to address.

Not sure if I explained that well. Sorry.



Thank you NetGalley and Europe Comics for the opportunity to read this ARC (the book came out in June so if you're interested, you can go get it now!)

* 3.75/5 stars

(A big thank you to Europe Comics, Joris Chamberlain and Anne-Lise Nalin for letting me read this ARC)

I really liked this comic. Not only does it show passion for someone’s hobby, minor learning disability/difficulty as well as how it can be when someone is losing their eye sight and how friendship and love can make us to crazy (but also good) things to help the people we care about.

I will however say that this comic book was very fast paced to the point where there were some plot holes in my opinion or some thing being let out of the plot that were mentioned a little in the beginning and I felt like the story was a bit rushed in that aspect. But that might just be my personal preference for it to be a bit longer than it was. And it might be able to be more explored if this story has a a sequel. There is also a small spelling error on page 29 that might have to be fixed too.

Either way I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick read with blind/ visually impaired representation and a small cute romance.

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy!

I really enjoyed this heartwarming story! I only wished the conflicts and characters were more detailed and fleshed out.

This is a short comic at about 70 pages about romance and friendship. I was drawn by the coloring and artwork which was absolutely beautiful and brought the story to life. It's definitely worth taking the time to enjoy this comic and I am excited to see future work from Anne-Lise Nalin!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy for review!

I thought this book was really cute, the story line was nice, and the art style was great. I'm just a little bummed that throughout the whole story, Marie-Jo doesn't really get to know who Victor is. He refuses to let her know that he's in a band, and even goes as far as to hurt himself (it wasn't really clear to me what he did to his hand) just so the concert would have to be cancelled. I guess I just don't get why he would do that, she never made fun of him for it or anything, she just said she didn't like rock music. This book is marked as YA but I think it's a little more middle grade with the level of dramatics going on here (or maybe an older middle grade). Anyway, I think it's cute and fast-paced, but a little underdeveloped and maybe too young for me.

Beautifully drawn imagery. The story unfolded to be so heart warming. It was better than expected and filled with so much heart in a coming of age story.

It was a really cute book, and I would definitely recommend this to my students. I feel like it would more be for the middle school to lower high school age group. It’s a cute little book and a good quick read that anyone can get into.

I don’t read a lot of graphic novels but I loved the cover of this one and the description caught my attention. Oh my goodness this was the cutest thing ever with some great themes like dedication, finding things you’re passionate for, and how you are important to others. I really enjoyed this cute story and I’m wondering if there will be more . I guess I’ll have to keep a lookout for them. Also the graphics were beautiful.

Netgalley review, possible plot points mentioned below.

Before I get into the content it's self, I want to talk about the art. This novel has such a warm cozy feel to it even with the abundance of blue. The lighting and sunlight give so much to it. The art style itself is also very inviting and pretty.

To the plot,
I feel like with most books I end up liking either the middle or the end better but for this I think the best part was the beginning, where we see Victor in his band and going through the motions of school & studying with Marie Jo. I think where the plot for me starting to get less interesting was the party and Vincent, I don't believe it added much to the book when we never saw conclusions to either parts. I also think the ending with running away for who knows how long in winter to sleep outside was too drastic and unrealistic to the situation.

Speaking of which, my big 2 points of this novel that brought it down for me were:

1. Victor dropped all his passions for Marie Jo. He stopped going to band with the twins (or even really interacting with them in general which is a bummer I liked them the most and wanted to see more of their story) and his relationship with his dad. It wasn't rocky but it didn't feel the same at the end, especially when in the beginning they talk about mom leaving and the pain with that then Victor himself runs away (even if for a short time) and then thanks his mom at the end for beliving in him when she wasn't even present? He also never showed Marie Jo his music, the band never plays and he makes sure of it. He made it seem like it was shameful to be in a band and to like the music he does while also throwing himself fully into her musical dreams that were similar, just a different genre.

2. Speaking of shame, I don't know how I feel about Marie Jo, I liked her in the beginning but as we got to know her, I don't think I do anymore. I understand the fear and frustration she's feeling of worsening eyesight as someone who has extremely bad eyesight. I don't like how its portrayed. It feels like she's pushing the idea that being blind is something to be ashamed about. It also feels like she knew early on that Victor would help, it felt like she used him and never considered him at all. Also how did her parents not realize she literally couldn't see well enough to walk around by herself? They also never told the school, where there could be accommodations?

This book shows a lot of shame for both characters but never goes past that. It doesn't show that being a bad test taker, having a passion different from others, or being blind is not something that's shameful. I think this story had a lot of potential in being cute and having a meaningful message but fell short of it.

I thank the authors and netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

My Heart in Braille by Joris Chamblain is an adorable graphic novel with wonderful artwork, characters and the disability representation was amazing. The art work is absolutely stunning and I felt it fit the storyline so perfectly. I liked this graphic novel one of my critiques is that I felt that Victor got too wrapped up with Marie to the point where he stopped doing things that he liked such as playing with his band.

(First of all, thank you NetGalley, and Publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review)

Synopsis: Victor loves vintage cars and belting out songs in his garage band, but school is harder for him and he seems always to say the wrong thing. When he meets the cello-playing, straight-A student Marie-Jo, the two strike up an unlikely friendship, and before long, his grades and attitude improve. But when Marie-Jo confesses a terrible secret to him, Victor will have to return the favor and do a little rescuing of his own.

First of all, I'm in love with how cute the drawings are. It's a short story with disability representation. I expected more plot development but it was entertaining, so 3 stars.

Oh, this was just a lovely story. The artwork was very well done. The awkwardness and struggle that was Victor was showcased in a way that make him utterly lovable. The connection he made with Marie was slow and subtle. The love he grows for her, even though he knows he may lose her, was absolutely heartbreaking. I want to read the book that this was based off of now!

My Heart in Braille is an adorable graphic novel with amazing artwork, characters and disability representation. The art work is absolutely stunning and fits the storyline so perfectly. The characters are just adorable and their story will definitely be one for fans of Heartstopper, Pumpkin Heads and The Girl From the Sea. I felt like I wanted a little more development in the storyline in some places but all in all this is a quick and easy read that will tug on your heartstrings a little and is sure to make you smile!

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The art in this graphic novel is breathtaking. The way the characters are drawn and how vibrante the colours are makes this story feel so alive, pure and sincere. It shows how first love feels as well as how meeting someone can change everything about you for the better. The plot in this novel is fantastic, it shows the struggle of someone with a disability but also how that disability shouldn’t stop you from chasing your dreams and do what makes you happy. I feel like that characters perfectly complement each other which makes them 100% compatible with one another.

Overall, a really quick and fantastic read.

I loved how the characters were drawn. Aside from their physical appearances, I admire how vividly illustrated their respective personalities. The color that this gave to young love is vibrant and tasteful. It reminded me just how pure, uncomplicated and sincere love at that age. From the middle, towards the end, I slowly realized how the title made sense. The leads go together as a pair. They are great partners - one compliments the other.

It’s a quick and really enjoyable read for me. :)

Name: My Heart in Braille
Author: Joris Chamberlain
Genre: YA, Teen, Graphic Novel, Contemporary, Friendship
My Rating: 5/5
Review:
I first chose to read this book because the title intrigued me, it made me curious. This book is a combination of some of my favorite elements art, music, and passion.
In the beginning, the protagonist seems like an aloof, sporadic clever but mischievous teen who doesn't care about anything but himself, he's a lot like a guy you know, you have seen around yourself. We have seen dozens of them, then what makes him different? With time we realize he's not just what he looks like. he's inquisitive, he's observant, he's introspective. He and Marie Jo are opposite sides of a coin. Meeting with Marie Jo changes everything for him, his personality grows, and he starts questioning himself. He starts caring about stuff, about being more than himself. This character development was something wonderful to see.
I like most of the characters. The twins' quirkiness, shy and kind Hussein.
The male leads kind of remind me of Lily and James from Harry Potter. I loved this book all through the story. The ending was especially heartwarming.
The art style is wonderful, it gives you a fluffy light feeling. I liked how the artist change the color theme accordingly with the protagonist's emotions. Its bright warm colors, in the beginning, display his cheerful attitude, but it shifts to cool blues as the protagonist starts questioning and doubting himself. It darkens with sorrows and doubts, especially when the screen suddenly turns black when he thinks in despair, only to find his answer.
I did not like the fonts used to describe the background. They take up more presence while reading and are a bit uncomfortable for me to read.

Beautiful art, adorable characters, heartfelt story. A short self contained story, but that does make some issues for the pacing. To make up for it there are pages that feel a bit too crammed with text for easy reading. I don't love that our protagonist is named Victor and another character is named Vincent, for some reason those names feel way too similar. There are character lore drops that feel warrant more focus but don't, and friendships that are meant to be meaningful, but are neglected. Victor is in a band but that oscillates from important to nothing. A miscommunication is never really cleared up but moved past....

This was certainly cute and quick read, but from a storytelling perspective, very flawed.

i liked this! it's a graphic novel that follows victor and marie-jo, and how they form a relationship by helping each other. there's really not much else one can say without spoiling anything though, considering the whole thing is only 75 pages. i loved the art style, and i liked the characters, though i feel some things in the story were not really as expanded as they could've been? i feel like there was a lot more potential but it was ok!

Thank you, Europe Comics and NetGalley for the electronic copy to review!

This took a few minutes for me to really immerse myself in the story, but once I did I was glad to be there. It is a sweet story about young love overcoming health issues. About kindness and helping our neighbor.

There is a lot of lying and making poor choices on the part of the main character, and I was hoping that would’ve been used as an opportunity to confess and ask for help. Those moments are passed over pretty quickly, so I wish they had lingered and talked about it.

The art was beautiful and the characters were very likable. Would recommend for teen+.